The Silk Road group is one of the numerous regional teams working on the atlas. This team is led by Bruce (texts) and Sonjyot (archeology). The inclusion of the Silk Road area in this atlas has special importance, due to the fact that the vast area of Central Asia has heretofore been largely neglected in the course of research in area studies. But because it is an region which is the medium between so many different cultures, the study of it yields much in the way of fascinating information. The map consists of sites, routes and artifacts which are situated as increasingly detailed views. In using the tool, one can go from a view of an entire region to a single room in a house. There is also extensive hyperlinking within the map.